March 5, 2008 -- General Motors Corp said on Wednesday that an eighth plant, which builds sport utility vehicles in Wisconsin, will be affected next week as the impact from a strike against supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc widens for the No. 1 U.S. automaker. GM's Janesville, Wisconsin, assembly plant will operate on shortened shifts next week due to the United Auto Workers union strike against the supplier, the automaker said on a company Web site. General Motors (GM) has announced that it is idling its four-speed transmission line at its Toledo (Ohio) transmission plant effective Monday (10 March), should the strike continue.
The week-old strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. is expected to idle two more vehicle assembly plants and has shut down four Lear Corp. factories, including those in Rochester Hills and Fenton. More auto assembly and supplier plants could be idled in coming days as the United Auto Workers and American Axle have not talked since the union's contract expired a week ago and 3,600 workers at five plants struck the Detroit-based supplier. Chrysler LLC also could be forced to shut factories because of the strike, but not for at least a week, spokeswoman Michele Tinson said. Two plants -- in Newark, Del., and Saltillo, Mexico -- are supplied by American Axle.
Source: AMT
